The Exiled Prince: Thorns of the Crown
their somber clanging echoing
skies above hung heavy, pregnant with thunder, as though the heavens themselves mourned the kingdom's descent into turmoil. The crimson banner of House Th
sweat as if the very earth itself was trying to swallow him whole. His breath came in shallow gasps, every inch of his being a reflection of the anguish that gnawed at his soul. His once-pristine royal
come swift, and the punishment was no less merciful. He had been framed by his younger brother, Zazeal, who had set him up as the orchestrator of an assassination attempt
begged for justice, pleaded for his innocence, but no one had listened. The king had been blinded by his younger son's influence. Zazeal, cun
ored a hunger-a thirst for power that could never be sated. Azeal had always been the soldier, the protector, the one willing to fight for his kingdom. Zazeal, on the other hand, had mastered the art of manipulation, playing
allow himself to remain a prisoner forever. He had to escape. He had to survive. Not for his own sake, but for the king
is heart skipped a beat. A shadow moved beneath the
nded, his voice rough and
cognizing the woman before he could even see her face. It was his mother-Queen Alendra. The wom
news of her death had spread like wildfire throughout Westonia, the kingdom mourning the loss of its
voice trembling with disbelie
bound his wrists. "There is no time to explain," she whispered urgently. "The kingd
hitect of this treachery. But he had not realized the extent of her machinations. It had been Laurie who had whispered
r answers. "You said the kingdom is poisoned... b
to madness. Laurie has been poisoning him for years. She has controlled him, manipulated him from the s
ing into place, but they still didn't make sense. "But why
But Laurie's poison is in the court, in the very fabric of this
ble man-had been reduced to a puppet in the hands of a woman who cared only
e pressed a dagger into Azeal's hand. "You must survive
t of the dungeon. He had no choice now. His fate was sealed. He ha
rn and reclaim what is mine." With one last kiss to his mother's trembling hand, Azeal fled
e town square, where a grand scaffold had been erected. T
e, hidden from the world,